Salon Kewpie: The Legacy Ball 2026

Salon Kewpie: The Legacy Ball 2026

Friday 17th April 2026

Salon Kewpie is returning to the District Six Museum Homecoming Centre on Friday 17th April, to celebrate the birthday of our pioneering trancestor and cultural icon, Kewpie! In collaboration with the District Six Museum and the GALA Queer Archive, we invite you to join us at Salon Kewpie: The Legacy Ball 2026.

Hosted by Cheshire Vineyard, mother of the South African chapter of the International House of Vineyard, this year’s ball will bring together our Salon Kewpie: The Legacy Project 2026 participants with gay, queer, and trans elders; members of the District Six community of remembrance; and iconic members of the local ballroom and drag communities.

DOORS OPEN at 5pm.

Join us then for an exhibition of materials from the Kewpie Collection and the Salon Kewpie archive. Drinks will be available to purchase from the Homecoming Centre bar.

BALL STARTS at 7pm.

TICKETS

Early Bird tickets close on the 17th of March

Standard tickets close on the 31st of March

CATEGORIES

Appetiser

The category is… Golden Gays & Girls. Our gay, queer, and trans elders have paved the way for us all. Our coming together as a community must centre on honouring those who have always walked their own path, and all that their struggles and triumphs have made possible. While we have the privilege of sitting at your feet, we invite our esteemed elders to bring it to the runway and receive your flowers.

The category is… Production as a House. No matter the location, the gays and girls of District Six knew how to be the drama. Whether dancing on the beach, playing around in the back yard, or climbing trees in Trafalgar Park, Kewpie and co mastered the art of the group shot. Make some noise for our amazing Legacy Project participants’ Production as a House, inspired by some of the Kewpie Collection’s most iconic photographs. The category is tableau.

The category is… Best Dressed. Inspired by Kewpie knitting up a storm in her final years at the Kensington Home for the Aged, former District Six residents and young designers created five iconic knitwear ensembles that we debuted at our 2025 ball. For this year’s ball, we want to see your take on knitwear. Show us how you weave together past glamour with present-day innovation in a look that’s as fierce as it is cozy.

Entrée

The category is… Runway with a Twist. After naming her first two hair salons Salon Kewpie, Kewpie gave us a glamorous little twist in the form of her third salon, for which she reimagined the name she was given at birth: Yugene’s Hairtique. Inspired by Kewpie’s insistent and playful self-determination, we want to see you serve us either All-American or European Runway to get your 10s. Then pump down the runway with a readiness to twist your way through the battles.

The category is… Lip-sync performance. From her childhood as a member of the church choir, to the songs she would perform on stage, Kewpie loved to sing. Inspired by the wax-splattered vinyls along to which Kewpie would croon, come ready to serenade your audience and judges with a jazz or blues classic.

Dessert

The category is… Sex Siren OTA. In 1962, Kewpie gave a strip tease so sensational that it was reported on in the Post newspaper: “Amid applause, catcalls, and yells of anticipation [...] Cape Town’s Capuchine threw a flimsy garment to the audience,” as “she shed her clothes to the strains of a popular twist number.” Inspired by this moment, we want to see the unfolding of a story through the unpeeling of your garments. As we know, this is a family function, where we celebrate the full expanse and joy of being alive, while also respecting cultural sensibilities. Like Kewpie did back in the ’60s, please stop short of removing your “bra and panties”! The category is calling for sensual restraint. Show us your most sophisticated tease.

The category is… Vogue Performance OTA. It was by “always dancing around” in District Six that Kewpie says the people came to love her. Since we are here to celebrate Kewpie’s birthday and keep her legacy alive, give the people what they want and vogue the house down boots mama!